A Poison Tree. Songs of Experience. William Blake. 1908. The Poetical Works

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William Blake (1757–1827). The Poetical Works. 1908.

Songs of Experience

A Poison Tree


I WAS 1 angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I water’d it in fears,	5
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunnèd it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright;	10
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole
When the night had veil’d the pole:
In the morning glad I see	15
My foe outstretch’d beneath the tree.

Note 1. A Poison Tree] ‘Christian Forbearance’ MS. 4 A line drawn below this stanza in the MS. shows that Blake originally intended the poem to end at this point. 9 both] by MS. 11 And I gave it to my foe MS. 1st rdg. del. [back]

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